Reviews

A heartwarming romcom and my all-time favorite for the genre

[EDIT: I have now completed all ten episodes of the show <3)
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Sometimes, love doesn't need loud, elaborate declarations for it to be felt. Sometimes, it can be felt strongly with just having someone to greet you when you're home, someone to share a meal with, someone to have a casual conversation with over dinner, and someone to sleep beside you. They are all just simple acts that are done in everyday life, but even then the warmth it emits is something you would always treasure. Because no matter how mundane it all is, having someone you love and care for to live such an ordinary life with you is what makes it special. And that is essentially what Nami Urakaka Ni, Meoto Biyori is.

From the very start, Meoto Biyori lived up to its main premise: that it’s a romantic comedy depicting the ordinary life of an arranged marriage couple during pre-war Japan. Nothing more, nothing less. And that made the show so addicting. It was just refreshing to see romantic comedies at its very core, showing a relationship grow from the roots and flourish as time passes with a few awkward moments along the way. In every episode you could see how they grow closer and closer, and there wasn’t any moment of regression. Every heart-fluttering moment, no matter how conventionally tropey some it is, is portrayed so sincerely that it feels giddy yet heartwarming at the same time. To provide a more comprehensive review:

STORY – the show itself doesn’t promise excellent storytelling, which you might expect in acclaimed dramas like First Love. Instead, the story itself leans more to depict ordinary life. And that made it very special. One thing I would like to note is that compared to other arranged marriage dramas, the show never made the arranged marriage the point of the show; only the starting point. Whatever Natsumi and Takimasa did to progress their relationship was due to their actual free will and interest in one another, rather than them thinking that “we’re married now, so we have no choice by to make it work.” They naturally started closing in on the distance without forcing it, and let their affection grow without restricting their feelings from moving to the next level. But then, it's not really all giddiness. Since the story itself is set in pre-war Japan, the story also delves deeper into the couple’s inner anxieties surrounding the tensions that are rising at that time, especially since Takimasa (the husband) is part of the Navy. With this, it brings an extra element of heaviness as we peek through the life of people who lived through that period of uncertainty, of a “peace” that is threatened by an upcoming conflict.

Moreover, I LOVED how they made use of a narrator! Honestly, I dislike doramas with narrators because I think it overemphasizes the fiction behind it all, but for this dorama it worked out very well in adding more depth to the main characters. It adds a lot to the comedy department too!

THE MAIN COUPLE – Individually, I loved that while both Natsumi and Takimasa exhibit characteristics of a conventional dorama FL and ML, they have so much more depth to them than the stereotypical ones so far. Natsumi is naïve and innocent, but also honest, forward, and steadfast. She’s timid, but never passive. Takimasa is stern (though the "coldness" only lasted for one and a half episodes lol), but is also awkward, unintentionally & intentionally expressive, honest, and caring. It is very refreshing to see them provide a new take on personalities we’ve been seeing for years.

As a couple, I personally think that by far, Natsumi and Takimasa is one of the healthiest fictional couples I’ve seen in the world of Asian dramas. Even from when they were still "married strangers", Natsumi and Takimasa have always been concerned and gentle with each other. They exhibit maturity despite their inexperience in relationships in general. They communicate their feelings well, they don’t forcibly cross boundaries, and they choose not to rush things. They even trust each other ENTIRELY, that even in bouts of jealousy they think that “Natsumi/Takimasa is not the type of person to betray me.” They are also very sensitive to each other’s emotional needs and ensures that they are met. Moreover, they even ask for consent when they try to start doing something physical (even if it's just holding hands), which I love. And the moment they became affectionate, they let their feelings flow naturally.

However, what I find most refreshing about Natsumi and Takimasa is that they barely have misunderstandings because they don’t shy away from talking about uncomfortable topics (that other dorama couples would AVOID talking about at all costs, making us all pull our hair out). With the both of them, it was the first time where I didn’t undergo the process of having to convince myself of the love the characters had for one another. Even without words, it was already very obvious.

THE ACTORS – To be honest, I first doubted the chemistry of Yoshine Kyoko and Honda Kyoya when they were first announced as the cast. I’ve watched some of their previous dramas, and I couldn’t imagine how their chemistry would turn out. But Kyoko and Kyoya had an amazing chemistry and they seem to adjust to each other’s frequencies very well. Kyoko would rely on subtle emotional delivery to balance out the (initial) stoicism of Kyoya’s character, and Kyoya would match Kyoko’s level in scenes where Natsumi’s emotions are heightened. As a viewer, I felt SO much emotion even with their glances and hand-holding. They didn’t even need an intense slowed stare-down with a romantic background music for you to feel that “wow, Takimasa and Natsumi are in love.” What I found to be the most heart-fluttering moments were them glancing at each other with no music at all, but it’s obvious from it that all they see is each other. It has so much weight to it.

While both their characters require animated reactions (which JDramas are infamously known for), they never made it feel cringe or awkward. Actually, I found it lovable.

For the actors themselves, even though Yoshine Kyoko is 8 years older than the age of her character, she perfectly encapsulated the innocence and naivety of Natsumi. Her clumsiness wasn’t a bothersome clumsiness, but a cute one. Her portrayal of loneliness over a husband that has to consistently leave their home for work is very convincing and it really sets a serious tone. Honda Kyoya, on the other hand, was a surprise for me. He decided to offer something fresh as Takimasa, showing that he’s capable of more than what he’s normally typecasted as. He did very well in portraying a stern but internally awkward man. And, even from his facial expressions alone, you can see how Takimasa’s walls are crumbling bit by bit as he softens and acknowledges his feelings for Natsumi. Also, since much of Takimasa’s character in the first episodes could only be discerned from his inner thoughts, he did a really good job of “appearing cold,” while his eyes say otherwise. Both of them captured the essence of Natsumi and Takimasa from the manga while also making them their own, and I honestly couldn’t imagine a Natsumi that is not Kyoko, and a Takimasa that is not Kyoya.

THE SIDE CHARACTERS – I’m not even exaggerating. This is the first and only drama where I actually rooted and looked forward to the stories of the side characters. Fumiko and Fukami were very interesting characters, since they were the opposite of Takimasa and Natsumi’s traditional marriage. They were the ones who add discussions over the foundations of marriage. But even then, their chemistry is superb. Hope that Koseki Yuta and Yamamoto Maika would have a separate project in the future!

THE CONS – Of course, there is no perfect JDrama (though this one is nearing it for me). The very prominent con of this dorama is the CGI. It’s literally very meme-able that even Japanese viewers say “this drama is popular, please give it more budget.” Especially in EP 2, wherein there’s a scene where they were under the moonlight; if it wasn’t for Kyoya and Kyoko’s chemistry at “that” scene, I wouldn’t have ignored that ridiculously large moon at the background. Literally laughed so much at one Japanese viewer saying that they could basically see Armstrong with how big that moon was. Also, they occasionally use a “stage play” format for flashbacks. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like it takes away from the weight of that specific flashback and its contribution to the plot, and I wish it could have been presented normally. However, I can see that it was endearing to some. Maybe it’s just personal preference. Lastly, I think it would have worked better if they didn't take up so much time doing flashbacks during the last episode.

Overall, I would honestly very much recommend this drama to anyone who’s interested in watching it, if this is a genre of romance that you’re into. It’s the type of drama that you can come home to after a tiring day, to remind you of how much warmth there is in a gentle love and life. A home you could return to, just as much as Natsumi is to Takimasa, and Takimasa is to Natsumi.

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Acting Master Class

Masterful Acting from every actor involved Awesome to see Gong Yoo back on the big screen He emotes better than actor All the actors were amazing in this series Unfortunately the story line, pacing & overall enjoyment lost it's luster with the messy plot. There were just too many anti-climax's The one year marriage contract that apparently only the wife got to enjoy , while the husband grieved the loss of his marriage and as the story evolves their unborn child There was no redemption for the wife character at all , she was portrayed as selfish calculating vindictive, the husband was a rather pathetic character from start to finish really. The 2nd contract wives story line, her marriage to a bisexual which apparently was the worst thing ever. The murderer who was murdered just so much going on way too much Of course the nude sex scenes which just stimulated but done nothing for the movement of the story All in all if the acting wasn't top notch it would have been a definite pass

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I'm going to be critical and vent omg

Okay, so this review will contain SPOILERS so if you're looking to avoid them, don't read beyond the spoiler warning!
Also, these are my OWN views and can wildly differ from everyone else's. Please keep that in mind when reading the review :)

It's a fairly typical lakorn filled with all kinds of tropes... Guilty FL, identity confusion (?), love to hate etc. But I had come to love the subtle slow burn chemistry between the FL and ML. They're cute together. But with the FL all but running away to avoid the ML whose only being fueled in his determination to catch her, it descends into something typical and oh so familiar.

Why, omg why do all FL's have to be such Mary Sue's. Like shit. This is early episode 1, so technically not a spoiler. But the sister was clearly jaywalking. It was plain as day. Like there's no crosswalk, she didn't check both ways, she literally just walked into oncoming traffic and the car was equipped with a dash cam too apparently, so why, just WHY did the FL face prosecution. Also, it was NOT hit and run cauz she stopped, got out and checked on the girl. She didn't just drive away. She even went to the hospital with the girls family and apologized to them there repeatedly. In which sense does this look like a hit and run. Roads are meant for driving, NOT walking like you're in a park. So why did everyone villainise the FL. She had to face threats over the phone from the so called angry brother, went into debt just to pay off the family, which was mind you, already very well off. The FL literally had to change her name and move. Her dad's health deteriorated, the mental pressure, the stress, and I could go on and on. But like WHY ALL OF THIS WHEN IT'S NOT HER FAULT OMG...

So enters the ML, who takes over the company when his grandmom falls sick. Obvio the FL is there, working as an assistant. He's drawn to her like a moth to a flame, I kid you not. He's literally buzzing around her, 24x7. But thankfully, it's not I'm invading your personal space, forcing myself on you in hopes you'll like me buzzing. But a more teasing, subtle version which was cute to watch cauz clearly the FL feels something but her guilt is holding her back. It helped his case that he had Lee, his so called girlfriend, who was clearly someone that was more of a best friend than anything, so she helped him clear a path to the FL and occasionally even gave him advice on how to win her over. I liked the girl. She's one of my fav characters in the series. Okay, so now that you've gotten the gist, let's move on to the more frustrating part.

SPOILERS START, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!

SO now, despite the FL trying to resign multiple times, the ML has managed to win her over. She's confessed to him, they're going strong, a ring is mixed into the equation. I think you know what's coming next. That's right. The big reveal. I'm the one that hit your sister with a car and caused her to be paralyzed. The scene, while the setting was good, lacked impact. It was over too soon. I wanted them to have a proper confrontation. It just felt a bit lackluster in a way, especially since he was about to propose and all. Don't get me wrong, they did get their confrontation like it was shown in the opening, but of course he didn't hit her and drove around her and moved away. Then came the I hate your existence cauz I love you so much, but you lied, so here's some torture to make up for it. No better way to phrase it honestly. The ML did apologize, directly at that, for his actions to the FL and her family. So that does work in his favor. But not enough, I guess.

I'll admit, I did like the FL telling the ML that he's already taken everything from her, so what else can make up for it. But that's it. That was all the range of complaints she had. It mostly went from stay away from my family to kill me to satisfy your bloodlust. I was honestly very annoyed cauz everyone, including the FL and her family just assumed that it was their fault when it wasn't. Last I checked, jaywalking is a crime. There's a reason why there are traffic rules in place. Ugh, moving on.

The sister. What a trainwreck, I tell you. Half the time she was either in denial, being spiteful, crying or just doing everything she can to make the ML and FL's lives miserable. She literally fueled her brother's anger against the so called perpetrator of the accident and then pretended like she just wanted to move on with her life. Like, just move on then. Why are you riling up your brother by egging him on. I can accept that it was not totally her fault, the parents where partly responsible for her behavior too, but really? She sold out her own brother, who was always running around trying to get revenge for her, at the words of someone who got her pregnant and then actively threatened her to get his hands on her family's company. Messed up doesn't even cover it. To top it off, she accused her brother of raping her and told her parents that the kid was his. Like WTF. Apparently she was supposed to be adopted but wasn't really. That's when shit hit the fan for me.

Then, true lakorn styles, comes another revelation. And another. And another. Honestly, I'm not even going to write it down here cauz it makes my blood boil just thinking about it.

Idk how the FL and fam just forgave the ML and fam for literally dragging them through hell and back when it wasn't even their fault. Like, just no girl. Go sue them or something and enjoy your life away from these people. But of course she doesn't. It is all wrapped up in a rush in the last episode cauz that's all that they're for. To tie up lose ends. Ya'll had 16 episodes and yet you chose the last one for an information overload and then they drive off into the sunset like nothing happened. When will you learn, lakorn world :/

In conclusion, I'm pissed. And annoyed. And there weren't even any decent kisses to make up for it. So watch at your own risk. If you want more spoilers, drop a comment or a message and I'll be more than happy to spare you the pain from watching this.

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A highly personal review.

First of all I started watching this because I am a Lusi fan. Second of all I knew this would be a patriotic drama aimed at a specific audience containing political views and opinions. The political theme is not subtle, so if you are not a fan of something like this I do not recommend you watch this. As someone who did not learn anything about this particular time in Asia in school I took this as a history lesson written from one point of views.

The story: The first episode is probably my favorite. It starts in the year of 1950 in Beijing with our 18 year old female lead Tian Zao, an orphan, wanting to avenge her father. This particular plot point is finished quite quickly, as there is only 14 episodes to complete the story. Her childhood sweetheart Tie Dan, our male lead, is a wrestling teacher who studied under Tian Zaos father.
The new government is formed and Tian Zao is impressed with the way they want to help the common people in Beijing and therefor wants to join her local government. This will as the story goes on lead her to help catch spies, gather support from her neighborhood to support the war effort and more. She is often too enthusiastic in her efforts, and causes problems at times, but she is well liked by her area and by her chosen older sister who works in the local government.

Acting: I have no complaints about the acting whatsoever in this. Zhao Lusi and Hou Ming Hao made me believe they had known each other basically all their lives and they were very cute as a couple.

Tian Zao is an orphan and grew up in a hutong area in Beijing, where she has a very big support group amongst both adults and the other children in the area, which helps her throughout the story.
She is a very headstrong girl and acts before she thinks at times. She was described as a person who dares to love and hate. I also find her very passionate about wanting to improve the lives of the people in her community.
Tie Dan is not your usual male lead with a stone face, he is actually a guy who is well liked and smiles a lot. He is also one of my favorite personalities in mls since he is not just kind to his one true love but an overall good guy. He is also willing to communicate with his love when there is a problem, which is definitively a skill more leads need.

I found most of the side characters quite interesting as well, but my focus is mostly on the leads.

Music: There is not really a lot of music in here but I do enjoy the instrumental music.

Rewatch: Would I rewatch this a whole? No. If I do rewatch something it will be the parts that I enjoyed together with the main leads.

Again, this is my point of view so you may not agree with me and that's alright.

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THIS ADAPTATION MAKES US FEEL LIKE DYING

LIKE WDYM KIM DOKJA HATES TWSA?! WDYM THE AUTHOR TOLD HIM TO WRITE HIS OWN STORY?! KIM DOKJA LOVES TWSA SO MUCH SINCE IT WAS A NOVEL THAT SAVED HIS LIFE WHEN HE IS SUFFERING FROM DEPRESSION. HIS MOTHER WAS IN JAIL FOR TAKING THE BLAME OF KILLING HIS DAD SINCE THE REAL ONE WHO KILLED KIM DOKJA'S DAD IS NONE OTHER THAN KIM DOKJA!! THIS LEADS KIM DOKJA TO HAVE TRAUMA AND SHORT AMNESIA MAKING HIM HAVE NO CLEAR MEMORY OF THAT CRIME AT ALL, AND TO EASE THE STRESS AND PAIN HE GREW UP READING TWSA THROUGH MIDDLE SCHOOL TO THE DAY HE GOT HIS JOB. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST HATED THING FOR US ORV FANS, BECAUSE CHANGING ONE THING MAKES EVERYTHING HAVE NO SENSE AT ALL. SECOND OF ALL WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO MY GLORIOUS BIHYUNG?! WHAT IS THAT MONSTER LOOKING LABUBU FLOATING IN THE AIR?! BIHYUNG IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE HORNS WITH FLUFFY PLUSH TOY LIKE BODY. THE BIHYUNG WE KNOW IS SOMEONE THAT YOU WOULD LIKELY TO HUG BECAUSE OF HOW CUTE HE LOOKS. NOT THAT MONSTER LOOKING THING. YEAH THEY ARE MONSTERS BUT THEY LOOK LIKE A CUTIE STUFF TOY. ADD MORE THAT THEY ARE USING GUNS?! IN ORV PEOPLE WHO USE GUNS ARE EXTRAS. SINCE MOST CHARACTERS WAS GIVEN WEAPONS BY THEIR CONSTELLATIONS THAT IS EITHER SWORDS AND ETC. NO MAIN CHARACTER IN ORV USES GUNS! BECAUSE THEY ARE FIGHTING THICK SCALED MONSTERS IN LAND AND WATER!! THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FLEXIBLE TO KILL THE MONSTERS MORE EASILY. THEY DON'T USE GUNS!!! AND WHAT ABOUT THAT SHIT I HEARD THAT YOO JOONGHYUK IS NOT A PROTAGONIST?! HE IS AND WILL EVER BE THE PROTAGONIST OF ORV AND TWSA. KIM DOKJA IS THE ANOMALY OF THE STORY WHICH MAKES BOTH OF THEM THE MAIN CHARACTERS WITH OTHER IMPORTANT CHARACTERS!!! DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE WAY THEY FILMED THE MOVIE!!! IT LOOKS LIKE AN AVERAGE VARIETY TV SHOW!! AND DID YOU KNOW THAT THEY CASTED FAMOUS PEOPLE JUST TO MONEY-GRAB?! THEY DIDN'T EVEN CARE ABOUT WHAT THE OG READERS FEEL AT HOW MUCH THEY BUTCHERED OUR FAVORITE NOVEL AND MANHWA

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I just finished watching this drama and WOW, could it be any better?! I almost cried when it ended and don't underestimate my "almost cried" because I don't cry but this drama touched me so deeply.
I waited until now to watch it, I mainly watched it because of its story which was a masterpiece of art. I couldn't think of a better cast than Min Ho as the lead actor; this is one of the dramas that made him snatch a spot in my favorite actors list.
The prosecutor Kim Young Joo, I totally fell in love with his role; I keep waiting for any scene he have with Yeon Sung! And let's not forget the rest of the cast who were awesome; their roles were done perfectly: I rarely give a 10's to the cast so if I do so, that means I am more than amazed.
The music: One of the fewest drama's music that I will never forget, I keep waiting for the OST and sing along with it (^___^).
I watched this drama with an average of four episodes per day, usually when I reach the middle of a drama I skip parts but in this drama I couldn't do so because each and every part is extremly important that i couldn't miss it.
Basically, if You're action lover (as myself) you need to watch this and even if you're rom-com lover (as I became lately) you won't regret watching this because it have a romantic side; the kind of a sweet romance not too innocent and not too straightforward.
The reasons I didn't give this drama a 10 overall even though I loved it so much are basically two : the 1st is the unsatisfying ending, don't get the wrong idea it's not sad or something but it didn't convince me, the 2nd is because I am pretty cheap when it comes to 10's I rarely do that.
Anyway, if you haven't watched this you need to start!

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Great Acting But w/a Too Busy Script & Unnecessary Characters

Watched this for XZ and yet a new storyline that was in the slice of life section. I've only seen two other actors before in different series and genres as support; otherwise I'm new to most of these people. I strongly feel that after reading the article the screenwriter wrote about the characters, she meant well, but it just didn't translate on screen as it was way too busy though the acting was for the most part appropriate and the situations were somewhat realistic.

Pros: I like slice of life stories and favorite characters included the ML or SY and FL or JB. I liked his stubbornness and bright attitude. I also liked how XZ could use his previous life experiences in design as well as film in his hometown. JB was mature but she was able to evolve out of her divorce to accept SY into her heart. The only thing I would change about her is that, I would have loved to see her actually take a stand for herself and not just listen while people spoke condescendingly to her and about her. Other awesome characters were dad and mom (though there was a moment there where I thought mom was a bit harsh, but she came around), SC and PR, who made the right kind of sense together and apart and I liked that they got together at the end. LSS was great but where the heck did she go for most of the second half of the series? The OSTs were nice and the fact that they essentially filmed in a city made sense too.

Cons: Busy script, way too busy. Three plus unnecessary characters were the hockey twins aka JB's sister and her crush/later boyfriend and his obnoxious uncle. I fast-forwarded them for most of the show. What was their purpose? JB's sister; I couldn't take at all. She was a college student but couldn't speak normally to save her life. She was either irritated or yelling or just acting like a 12 year old constantly. Then throw in their father in the last like 5 episodes just to show why they're so dysfunctional when it could have been explained in maybe a 10 minute scene and it still didn't explain why the sister was so ridiculous. JB's ex hubby deserved to be hit with a brick for his possessive, condescending attitude but though I can understand he was in there, his then disappearance and reappearance much like LSS was disjointed and jarring.

While I understand there were life lessons in there, if you got rid of at least three of those characters, this show would have had been better flushed out and given the main characters a more realistic portrayal and screen time.

Would I recommend it? If you like slice of life dramas, then yes I would. Overall it was a good watch, just make sure you know how to use the ffw button.

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Great concept!!!

My Stand-In has multiple layers, making it a highly textured and emotionally complex BL series.

The show has a highly refreshing concept, which brings up some interesting questions on the relationship between love and personhood. If the person you loved died and revived as someone else in a different body, how does that alter the nature of the relationship?

The series should be lauded for not shying away from complex, and deeply flawed characters. It explores fairly mature themes, given the show’s sexual relationships and the characters’ manipulative nature. Perhaps it can be criticised for romanticising toxicity, but I don’t think it is any series’ job to be an ad for civics and moral education. Characters like Ming are everywhere in real life.

Ming’s mercurial tendencies and obsessiveness makes him challenging to like and root for as a character. But for Joe, who has been collateral damage from getting caught in the crosshairs of power struggles – he finally gets his turn to understand what it means to have somebody to fight for you.

And it was superbly satisfying to watch.

Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2024/07/20/my-stand-in-2024-bl-review/

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The story.

Even if the end was as it was. The writers taught us a lesson: love conquers everything even the time and death. They gave us an open end, and I thank them for this. While watching the last episode I went through all possible emotions. I understand people who are disappointed, I was too, but I thought over and over again, and this ending even if it wasn't All cherish and blossom it was still good. The drama is good, funny, serious,... and I liked it.,🫶
A quote from the drama : ,, ...but you'll eventually learn...that things don't always go your way. And that it's better that way."

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Could have used a change in direction

Newtonian physics may not bind the Laws of Drama Writing, but it is a helpful starting point for examining “Bulgasal: Immortal Souls”. Newton’s first law states that a body that is at rest or is in motion at a constant speed in a straight line will remain at rest or continue at the constant speed in a straight line unless it is acted upon by a force. In other words, for something to change, we need some sort of object or mechanism to trigger a chance in action.

With the drama in question, we begin with events that occurred 600 years ago which is where we find our object moving forward. To summarize, Goryeo era monster hunting ace Dan Hwal became a bulgasal (an immortal monster which feeds on human blood) and he loses his family. He sets out to wreak revenge against those who put him in his predicament. We flash forward to present with Hwal seeking Sang Un, once a bulgasal, now a human, reincarnated. Every other character of any note is a reincarnation of someone or something other creature from hundreds of years ago. As the storyline progresses, Hwal and Sang Un encounter Ok Eul Tae, an antagonist from the origins of the story.

Let’s set the storyline aside for other matters…

The production is outstanding. Whether it was set design, photography, soundtrack or the physical monsters themselves, this crew was tops. The monsters are exceptional. Whether the settings are the Goryeo era forests or present day mountains, the settings are gorgeous. The special effects are above average. There is not a copious amount of OST but the few entries are solid. And there’s more than one underwater sequence that are some of the highlight scenes.

There’s some fine acting too. Park Myung Shin is the standout as a Goryeo era shaman and present day aunt/butcher for Hwal. Lee Joon creates a compelling and vibrant character for the twisted and scheming Eul Tae. Han Seo Jin plays a young Sang Un and continues to create one of the most impressive filmographies of any young actor anywhere.

It’s a mixed bag for the leads. Lee Jin Wook as Dan Hwal has the imposing stature and gravelly voice to pull off a character that is part dark monster and part former human bent on retaining some of his humanity. But the character has shortcomings that no actor could really work around. He’s smart enough to clandestinely coordinate a complex manhunt and amass a significant collection of assets but has lived hundreds of years learning almost nothing. He follows a predictable cycle where he is introduced to a new side to his backstory, he refuses to believe it then just decides that it must be true. And despite the fact that he wants to end his troubles, he’s got the worst sense of self-awareness on the planet. He’s supposed to be the hero, albeit a non-traditional type of one, but he’s so determined to derail any effort to make progress that he’s nearly impossible to sympathize with.

As for Kwon Na Ra’s Sang Un, she’s got enough sense to diagnose Hwal’s issues, can formulate a basic plan and know that she needs to invest in and maintain relationships. That’s all good but the direction for the character was to overwhelm everything else about the character with a damsel-in-distress aesthetic. Even when her actions should signal strength and determination, the visuals instead emphasize her weakness and impending panic. That’s the present day visuals. Have to recognize that her appearance in the historical eras is simply stunning.

Without spoiling too much, there’s no end to this saga unless there’s an end to Eul Tae or Hwal or Sang Un. But two aren’t easy to kill and the other one will just reincarnate so something out of the ordinary has to happen to end this.

Here’s where Newton comes in. We have this trio that has been on the same path for six hundred years with this seemingly unsolvable problem. What would have made for an outstanding drama is that at some point of the storyline, the viewers are given some somewhat comprehensive understanding of how our object in motion at a constant rate of speed in a straight line was put in said motion at said constant rate of speed in said straight line. Then the production could have adequately built up over multiple episodes to a climax where new big force is brought forward to bring about the cataclysmic change in motion and to put an end (or new beginning) to our heroes and villains story.

Instead, a full reveal of the real origin story only happens far, far, FAR! too late leaving little time to build any appropriate amount of tension for the climactic showdown. Pending the full reveal, Eul Tae is left as a likely evildoer but possibly ambiguous character which fatally hamstrings his actions. Instead of going full dark and crazy, there’s only glimpses of his true nature. To keep a semblance of mystery about him going, he winds up a disappointing antagonist who spends too much time politicking with Hwal and plotting in the background than being, y’know, a bloodthirsty and invincible monster. And instead of Hwal and Sang Un spending far too much time wondering how they ended up this way, they could have been doing something much more interesting like, y’know, fighting monsters.

It’s a tremendous shame because the scenario was promising. There’s lots of interesting monsters and the show was terrifically entertaining when there was action. But it is invested so heavily in a painfully slow reveal of backstory and keeping the main characters and viewers in the dark that the characters are unable to develop. And, y’know, move forward in a new direction.

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this was boring as fuck...

There is no real story... it's just inconsequential and irrelevant. Nothing happend for 1h 15mins. The BL and the GL go together on the island. The BL returning home and the GL for a vaction. They chat about nothing, have some dinner, some walking and some kissing and that's it. I was bored out of my mind. The best of this episode are the shoots of the nature... Then there is the obligatory kiss under water (which was filmed in a tank and not the ocean, because in an ocean that's nearly impossible to do).

I can't even say it's bad. To be bad there must be story, but there was nothing. If you are bored you can watch it for some eyecandy and some nice landscape shots, but you can leave the volume off, because nothing they say is in any way interesting.

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I will cherish MaxTul till the end of life.

I am crying and writing this, Words cannot express how beautiful and thrilling, this series is. One of the bold Bl series. the ending is so beautiful, I will cherish MaxTul till the end of life. MaxTul is one of the powerful BL couple. Till my last breath, I will always stan them. The ending is just too beautiful, I just want to cry. Without saying anything, Tul's eyes can express a thousands emotions. I love the scenery is this drama. I wish the production to be little more better. I wish I could have read the novel, the story in the novel is more deep than the drama.

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I found the story somewhat similar to Pride & Prejudice, where you've got what seems to be a handsome, rich, extremely narcissistic and selfish MC paired with a smart, caring secretary who's been 'tortured' by her boss' narcissism and has formed her own prejudiced opinions about him, which is far from the real picture. Each episode aims to reveal little by little, the MC's real character and how secretary Kim responds to the those revelations. It is a simple and sweet story which started out strong but fizzled out in the middle. Even the big reveal wasn't so much of a surprise and failed to inject any excitement into the plot to keep me from feeling bored. The actors did a good job at playing their roles, although I can't say I fully understood PMY's character's behaviour sometimes.. It's difficult to completely describe it, but the story felt shallow and listless. Parts that were meant to be deeply felt failed to evoke any real emotions, and as the story progressed, it felt less and less authentic. I can't deny the chemistry between PMY and PSJ; they've managed to play out the romance in a sweet and lighthearted manner that makes me smile. All in all, it's very mediocre. I liked it enough to finish 16 episodes. Truthfully, I would've dropped if it had been longer because it was getting really draggy. Would I watch it again? Definitely not.

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Had fun riding the Gunnie & Mi roller coaster to love. This version of the Taiwanese drama was hands down grossly improved by the actors & onscreen chemistry. The humor, chemistry and story made this an easy to get hooked on and felt right for end of summer drama. Did the storyline change from the Tw version - not much... the comedy portions were endearing to the plot and not overplayed. For me the soundtrack was mesmerizing and well placed throughout the drama. The most poignant track, were the touching instrumentals played at heartfelt moments serving to heighten the moments at hand. The ending was nicely summed up and overall was the right length - no more -no less. Interesting that the two end of summer dramas are dealing with mental & family issues - life goes on. As a final note, the two leads looked like they had fun doing this drama, resulting in magnetic chemistry heartfelt through the screen, coupled with the remaining cast who just made you smile every episode. Well done and lots of HAMO HAMO!

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